This invention relates to a method for processing of a light-sensitive silver halide color photographic material, more particularly to a method for processing of the light-sensitive silver halide color photographic material by the use of a stable color developing solution having an improved preservability.
Generally, a light-sensitive silver halide color photographic material is, after an imagewise exposure, subjected to a series of photographic processings which include a color developing process and a desilvering process as fundamental processes, in order to form a color image.
In the aforesaid color developing process, an oxidant of the color developing agent brings about a coupling reaction with a coexisting color coupler, whereby the color image of an image pattern is formed and a reduced silver is simultaneously produced. The thus produced reduced silver will be oxidized with a bleaching agent in the successive desilvering process and be further treated with a fixing agent in order to be converted into a soluble silver complex, and the latter will be then dissolved off by washing.
In an actual development processing step, besides the fundamental processes for the purpose of the abovementioned color development and desilvering, there are utilized auxiliary processing baths such as a stop bath, a hardening bath, a stabilizing bath and a packing removal processing bath with the intention of improving photographic or physical properties of an image.
On the other hand, in a usual color developing solution, a sulfite or the combination of a water-soluble salt of the sulfite and hydroxylamine is addedly included as a preservative for the sake of preventing the oxidization of an aromatic primary amine color developing agent.
As already known, when the sulfite is alone added to the developing solution, its preservative effect will not be always sufficient, therefore the hydroxylamine is added thereto in the form of a water-soluble salt so as to provide it with a more effective preservative character. Further, as the preservatives which can be employed in place of the sulfite and the hydroxylamine above, dihydroxyacetone, anilinoethanol, hydroxyurea and the like are known.
In recent years, for an economical and an environmental reason, a developing solution tends not to be positively replenished, so that its stagnatory period is apt to be prolonged and it thus undergoes an air oxidation more often.
Further, for the acceleration of the processing, a method has been developed in which a monochrome developing agent such as 3-pyrazolidone, hydroquinone or its derivative is added to the color developing agent in order to facilitate a development by virtue of its superadditivity, but such a monochrome developing agent is excessively unstable in the color developing solution which cannot accept a great amount of a sulfite because of a bad influence on a photographic performance. Furthermore, as another means for the precessing acceleration, a light-sensitive photographic material tends to be processed at a high temperature of 30.degree. C. or more, therefore, a problem of the deterioration in the developing solution which is due to its oxidation at the elevated temperature is getting more serious.